In August of 2019, we opened the Wellness Clinic at Springbrook on Main Street in Oneonta. Since opening six months ago, the clinic has already provided medical services to dozens of people who choose Springbrook’s Community Homes program.
Our Commitment
For over 90 years, Springbrook has had an unwavering commitment to meet the unique, life-long needs of those we support. This commitment means that we are proactive and innovative in an ever-changing economic and governmental environment. We grow to provide a continuum of the most holistic supports and services for those we serve today, and for those who come tomorrow. The Wellness Clinic at Springbrook, our newest programmatic offering, was developed in this spirit of innovation and adaptation.
A Focus of Care
The Wellness Clinic at Springbrook opened for practice in the fall of 2019. While in its early infancy, the clinic provides care for the 160 residents of Springbrook’s 24 Community Homes. With the focus of care designed to meet greater medical needs, The Wellness Clinic will provide a wide spectrum of advanced services, including screenings and early preventative care. In the coming years, The Wellness Clinic will expand to offer services to other people in the community who have intellectual or developmental disabilities who do not currently choose Springbrook as their service provider. This phased opening allows us to assess the clinic’s operational capacity to ensure that the services provided are focused on quality patient care and not on sheer patient quantity.
A New Medical Home
The practical concept of The Wellness Clinic is similar to that of a medical home. A medical home is an innovative, team-based healthcare delivery model designed to provide all-inclusive and continuous medical care to patients. The overlying goal of a medical home is to obtain maximum health outcomes for patients. The Wellness Clinic at Springbrook is a medical home for the people we support. This means the clinic provides more than access to specialty referrals. It helps people identify the gaps in their healthcare. By recognizing inconsistencies in our patient’s medical care, we evolve and take care of a patient’s health, full circle—focusing on more than treatment but screening and early prevention as well.
Delivering the Best Services
Basset has been a great partner in all of this, and their experience and knowledge is helping us to explore all the options for the future of The Wellness Clinic.
To implement this new approach, Springbrook has partnered with Bassett Healthcare Network. This partnership ensures that patients will see one consistent doctor for appointments, rather than a handful of alternating doctors. Basset will also be providing access to patient Electronic Health Records (EHR). Access to EHR is essential because many of the people who receive care through Springbrook have complicated medical histories and have received health services from several specialty providers and hospitals across New York State. Having access to each person’s EHRs will help clinic staff to coordinate health care more quickly and effectively.
For The Community
A benefit of having The Wellness Clinic in our local community is the ability to provide access to specialized, comprehensive care for individuals who travel long distances like Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester to receive similar care. In addition to providing access close to home, the clinic will ease the imbalance between local emergency rooms and doctor’s offices. In our local community and across the state, a lack of access to appropriate medical providers has caused an influx in the number of emergency room visits for medical situations that would be better suited for a patient’s primary care provider. The Wellness Clinic will be able to address emergent medical needs for our patients, reduce stress in local emergency rooms, and allow hospitals to handle pressing medical emergencies in a timely and effective manner for other local patients. This model enables everyone in the community to benefit from the clinic’s operation.
What is Enhanced Primary Care?
The Wellness Clinic at Springbrook is an enhanced primary care clinic for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Enhanced Primary Care is whole patient care that includes: using advanced electronic technology to improve patient care, conveniently available appointment times, an emphasis on preventative care, and staff that provides a large range of quality medical services. The clinic’s convenient location in the heart of Oneonta brings advanced medical care closer to home. The clinic’s focus is quality care, giving patients extended appointment times, a comfortable atmosphere, and specialized equipment to meet their unique needs.
As Springbrook evolves for the future, we will continue to make a positive difference in more than just the lives of the people we support, but on the communities we call home as well. Connecting with our communities allows us to expand the scope of quality care. The Wellness Clinic at Springbrook is a glimpse of all of the great things to come from the Springbrook of tomorrow.
Learn More About:
Self Directed Services
Helping people choose their path with sets of services created in partnership with participants and families.
GEMS Residential & Day School
Residential and Day Student options from a pioneering educational program for students with special needs.
Tom Golisano Center for Autism
New York’s most innovative setting for school-aged children with Autism.
Kids Unlimited Preschool
Learning to play and playing to learn, Kids Unlimited is Otsego County’s only integrated preschool.
Alternative Living Services
Springbrook seeks to assist people in finding the right place to call home.
Employment Services
Support through all phases of the professional experience for people interested in seeking community employment.
Capstone Day Habilitation
Learning is a lifelong process; our programs offer experiences that enable our clients to reach their full potential.
Community Homes
24/7 support staffing, beautiful facilities, and a place to call your own.